ChurchMilitant.com recently featured a story (click here to read it) on the Catholic Diocese of Albany that
includes the following item:

In fact, [the late Father John] Minkler learned that diocesan officials enjoyed warm relations with Planned Parenthood and quietly allowed abortions at Schenectady's St. Clare's Hospital.

'At least two Albany priests, Fathers Thomas Berardi and Christopher De Giovine, are known to advise pregnant girls to go to Planned Parenthood for abortions,' he reported. 'These priests make no
secret of this, yet Bishop Hubbard appears not to correct it.'

Absolutely horrid, if true. (And that includes about everything else in the story.)

Several days ago, I emailed two officials of the diocese's communications office – which is standard protocol for a reporter who seeks comment or clarification from a diocese on a particular matter
– asking if there's any truth to the aforementioned allegation.

Thus far I've received no response.

___________________________

In a recent interview, Cardinal Blase Cupich dismissed Archbishop ViganÚ's letter, saying that Pope Francis has a "bigger agenda" and has "got to get on with other things, of talking about the environment
and protecting migrants and carrying on the work of the Church." The cardinal also referred to the letter's contents as a "rabbit hole."

Oh, yes. The environment and migrants are much more important than the sexual abuse of children by priests. After all, Jesus Himself said:

'If anyone causes one of these migrants – those who believe in Me – to stumble, or harms the environment, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and
to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'

Cupich also implied that racism was a motivating factor behind the release of ViganÚ's letter and the ensuing criticism of the pope. 'Quite frankly, they also don't like him because he's a Latino,' said
Cupich.

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to parents of Italian descent.

Matt C. Abbott

Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic commentator with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, media and theatre from Northeastern Illinois University. He also has an Associate in Applied Science degree in business management from Triton College. He's been interviewed on MSNBC, Bill Martinez Live, WOSU Radio in Ohio, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's 'Unsolved' podcast, WLS-TV (ABC) in Chicago, WMTV (NBC) and WISC-TV (CBS) in Madison, Wis., and has been quoted in The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. He can be reached at mattcabbott@<NOSPAM>gmail.com.

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